Are indies new or they've always been?

[gpetersz]

I mean: What made a developer in the 80's or early 90's?
1-2 programmers, a musician (R.Hubbard, M.Galway, C.Huelsbeck and so)
1-2 artists. A team of 3-6.
What makes a developer these days????? 10 artists, 1 musician (no change), 5-10 programmers? Probably even more...

The indie structure nowadays is very similar to the first. You program (maybe draw - model - texture etc), and outsource (if) the art and music+fx (or buy it royalty free).

Are indies new? I think not really, we only survived the big boom of the known and richer developers all around. They grew and went after the technology while indies stayed with the original model. 1-2 men cannot compete with the time-consuming process of the developement of Diablo.

I think indies have just kept the original method of developement and since we are not able to produce the same background (movies, actors, speech, music and so) as the huge ones we are forced to concentrate on the gameplay (as it's been back in time).

Does this thread make any sense or I am just thinking loudly?.... :-)

[mahlzeit]

Indies have been around forever, and they used to call themselves indies back then too. Amiga Format ran at least two "Look out, established publishers, the indies are coming!" features: one in the early nineties, and one in the late nineties.

[gpetersz]

Well maybe only these infos didn't come through the iron curtain. :-)
That makes sense.

But.... Does anybody remembers for example Lothlorien's: "Samurai"?
So simple and technically undeveloped but it was fun to play.
That was only ONE guy (one guy made software house).
But I could be misinformed as well. If this is the case then I apologise
for taking up webspace :D...


Maybe then the difference between an indie and a "true" developer
wasn't as significant?

[mahlzeit]

I think back then indies were able to make the same kinds of games as non-indies: they both had access to the same technology. Making a game cost about the same whether you were an indie or funded by a publisher. That is different today. But indies did gain a new distribution channel: the internet.

[gpetersz]

Yes you are right.
Anyway, this is not that interesting thread, so I thank you
to be as my partner in my loud thinking. :p